Allergies Vs Sinus Infection - Do I Have Allergies or a Sinus Infection

By Kevin L Deremer

Nasal symptoms affect millions of Americans all the time. But is it allergies or sinus infection? What's the difference? How does it matter?

Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is an allergic response to pollen or other microscopic particles or organisms. Symptoms of allergic rhinitis include:

• Itchy, watery eyes
• Congestion
• Sneezing
• Runny nose

Colds or flu may cause some of these same symptoms, but are usually accompanied by fever, sore throat, and body aches. Colds typically last about seven days, then go away. But with allergies, symptoms last longer. And allergy symptoms occur in a predictable pattern: The symptoms of allergies tend to be present when pollen counts are high, and go away when they are lower.

Sinus Infection

Sinus infection (sinusitis) is inflammation of one or more of the sinus cavities in the skull. Sinuses have small openings into the nasal cavity and are normally just filled with air, but when they become blocked and filled with fluid, they become a breeding ground for germs that cause an infection. These can include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Based on the length of time symptoms are present, sinusitis is classified as acute, chronic, or recurrent

Acute Sinusitis

In acute sinusitis, the primary symptoms last about 7-28 days and include:

• Facial pain/pressure
• Nasal stuffiness
• Nasal discharge
• Loss of smell
• Cough/congestion

Additional symptoms may include:

• Fever
• Bad breath
• Fatigue
• Teeth pain

A health care professional will make a diagnosis of acute sinusitis when a person has two or more symptoms and/or thick, green, or yellow nasal discharge. Treatment for allergies is usually symptomatic. These include medications such as antihistamines, decongestants, and nasal corticosteroids. Antibiotics are not needed. Non-medicinal remedies such as nasal irrigation has been proven helpful as well.

Chronic Sinusitis

People with chronic sinusitis may have the following symptoms for 8 weeks or more:

• Facial congestion/fullness
• A nasal obstruction/blockage
• Pus in the nasal cavity
• Fever
• Nasal discharge/discolored postnasal drainage

Additional symptoms of chronic sinusitis may include:

• Headaches
• Bad breath
• Fatigue
• Teeth pain

A physician may treat sinusitis with symptomatic medication or antibiotics in severe cases. Overuse of antibiotics has lead physicians to be more reserved in prescribing antibiotics. Nasal irrigation has been proven effective, as well, in helping to relieve the symptoms of sinusitis and maintain nasal health.

One Condition May Lead to Another

It is not uncommon for allergies to lead to sinusitis. Nasal allergies cause swelling of the lining of the nasal passages, which can lead to a blocked sinus. Sinus infection can then develop because of the blockage.

Nasal allergies and sinusitis affect the body in different ways and are treated differently, so it is important to know the difference.

Kevin Deremer owns and writes articles for http://www.sinus-and-allergy.com/ where you can find all-natural, clinically proven products for sinus and allergy relief.

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Diabetes Symptoms in Women - Be Aware Of These Diabetes Symptoms Before They Kill You

By Tehmina Mazher

Are you experiencing some diabetes symptoms? Are you scared of being diagnosed with diabetes? If your answer is yes; then I am not surprised as generally women are termed as scary as well as weaker by men.

However being a woman I believe that women are much more sensible as well as stronger mentally. This is true that it is slightly difficult to manage a diabetic life; however overall it is good as well as healthy lifestyle. All a diabetic person requires is patience with a little bit of management. The most important thing here is to start the treatment the moment diabetes is diagnosed. The early treatment for diabetes is not possible without the proper diagnosis and understanding of diabetes symptoms in women.

If the problem is diagnosed at an early stage one can easily avoid the severe intensity of diabetic complications. The hectic lifestyle has made diabetes a common disease. The ratio of women suffering from diabetes has also considerably increased in the past few years. The symptoms of diabetes differ from one woman to another. One of the most common diabetes symptoms in women is sexual and hormonal disorder. Diabetic women are more prone to complications during menstruation and yeast infection in vagina. Other diseases linked with sexual organs are most commonly found in diabetic women.

There are three types of diabetes

1. Diabetes type 1
2. Diabetes type 2
3. Gestational diabetes

The women who are suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes have to be very careful about their diet. The chief factors of diabetic diet management are time as well as quantity of the meals. It is important that diet must contain healthy as well as nutritious food items. Only a prescribed quantity of diet should be consumed at the recommended time. Poor eating habits and obesity are two most major causes of diabetes onset. Other contributing factors are poor lifestyle habits, stress, no exercise and inadequate sleep

The third type is the gestational diabetes. It occurs during pregnancy and is naturally cured after the birth of the baby.

Type 1 diabetes symptoms are developed quickly within a very short time span; whereas the symptoms for diabetes type 2 onsets slowly. People who suffer from mild case of diabetes are unable to detect the symptoms.

There are chances that they do not experience any notable diabetes symptoms for a very long time period. It is critically important for all women to be aware of the diabetes symptoms so that they can detect the problem as soon as it arrives. Following are the most common diabetes symptoms in women;

• Unquenchable thirst
• Sudden weight loss
• Excessive urination
• Blurriness in vision
• Slow healing of wounds
• Dry as well as itchy skin
• Recurrent vaginal infections
• Increase in appetite
• Swelling of feet
• Numbness and tingling in hand and feet

Any diabetic woman at one time may suffer from all or none of the above mentioned symptoms. So it is extremely important to listen to the body. If there is even more than one diabetes symptom then it is advisable to consult the doctor so that the problem can be detected as early as possible.

Learn more about the details of Diabetes Symptoms in Women and learn the tips to deal with increase in Blood Sugar. I have mentioned here tips and tricks with the help of which I have said "good-bye" to Diabetes; so you can do the same.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tehmina_Mazher

6 Types of Help for Tinnitus Available to You

By Anthony Handley

There are different types of hearing loss and one of those is the condition known as tinnitus. However, you should know that tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom of an underlying medical problem. Those who are suffering from tinnitus can have a hard time focusing in their activities and this can be very frustrating. Therefore, finding help for tinnitus would be necessary.

The first step to finding help for tinnitus is to consult your physician or a specialist and have a check on your condition. They can provide you the necessary information about tinnitus as well as the possible treatment options. Although a solid cure for tinnitus is unavailable, there are some treatment methods that can be done to help you alleviate the symptom and improve your tinnitus condition. These treatments can be in a form of surgery, home treatments, prescription medicines or gadgets depending on the status of your condition.

Bear in mind that when looking for help for tinnitus, the treatments may vary depending on the severity of your condition and the root cause of the problem. A certain treatment may be effective for one person but not for another. Help for tinnitus may include the following:

• Maskers - these are electronic devices that work by emitting sounds in order to make tinnitus less noticeable and disrupting. It can minimize the roaring or ringing sound inside the ear and make it softer.


• Hearing Aids - if you are suffering from tinnitus, then you may also suffer from hearing loss. One help for tinnitus is the use of hearing aids to enable you to hear outer sounds clearer than the ones coming from your ears.


• Tinnitus Retraining Therapy - this is considered as the most effective treatment against tinnitus. This is a combination of maskers and counseling where an audiologist or an otolaryngologist helps you cope and understand your condition better.


• Medicine Therapy - your doctor may give you prescription medicines to help you treat tinnitus and alleviate its symptoms.


• Counseling - suffering from tinnitus can be very irritating and frustrating. Going through counseling can help you understand your condition more and relieve the stress and depression that you might be having due to tinnitus.


• Relaxation Technique - as stress is considered as one of the most common causes of tinnitus, relaxation techniques can be a great help for tinnitus in relieving the condition. By following relaxation techniques, breathing exercises or yoga, you can relieve yourself from the stress that may cause tinnitus or that is due to tinnitus and relieve the symptoms of the condition as well.

Anthony is a tinnitus expert and co-creator of the new tinnitus info based website: Natural Tinnitus Relief

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Handley

Major Groin Pain Causes

By Renee Foo

Groin pain causes can surface due to the pulling or strain of adductor muscle. Gracilis, pecticeus, adductor brevis, adductor longus and adductor magnus are the groin muscles. These are fan like muscles and are located in upper thigh. These muscles pull legs together when they contract. They are also responsible for the stabilization of hip joint. These muscles attach from pelvis to thigh bone. Groin discomfort appears in men and women of all ages. However, women encounter this problem most commonly during pregnancy.

Some of the major groin pain causes in men are:

* Kidney stone,
* Inflammation in small or large intestine,
* Hernia,
* Epididymitis,
* Enlarged lymph glands,
* Urinary tract infection,
* Testicular torsion,
* Superficial skin infection,
* Orchitis,
* Muscle strain,
* Testicular tumor, etc

Enlarged Lymph Glands

Lymph nodes, which appear all over the body, are highly important in your immune system. They recognize and fight infections, germs and other foreign substances. Common areas where lymph nodes appear are groin, armpit, neck, under the chin or jaw, behind ears, backside of head, etc. They become swollen due to inflammatory condition, infection, cancer, or abscess. Injections, such as gingivitis, colds, flu, ear infection, skin infections, tuberculosis, tonsillitis, sexually transmitted diseases, mouth sores, mononucleosis, etc, are the common causes of swollen lymph nodes and it finally leads to groin pain, cancer or tumor.

Epididymitis

Epididymitis or inflammation in epididymis, a tube that connects testicle with vas deferens, occurs due to bacterial infection from urethra or bladder. The most common causes for Epididymitis are chlamydia and gonorrhea. It also occurs due to mycobacterium tuberculosis, E. coli, etc. Epididymitis is one of the major pain causes.

Hernia

This is another major cause of groin pain.Chronic cough and constipation, enlarged prostate, undescended testicles, overexertion, smoking, poor nutrition, etc are the major causes of hernia.

Kidney Stone

Kidney stone is the solid mass of tiny crystals. Groin pain, testicle pain, abnormal urine color, vomiting, nausea, fever, chills, blood in urine, etc are the symptoms of kidney stone.

Groin Lump

Lump in the groin is a localized swelling and it occurs due to allergic reaction, drug reaction, cancer, harmless cyst, injury in groin area, infections in legs, lipomas, sexually transmitted diseases, swollen lymph glands in groin area, etc.

Orchitis

Orchitis is the inflammation of one or both testicles. Bacteria and virus infections are the causes of this health problem and it triggers groin pain in men.

Groin Injury

This is another major cause of groin pain and it occurs due to a direct blow on groin region. Athletes are more prone to groin injury. Hyper extension of groin muscles may cause sprain in groin and it ultimately leads to severe pain. Straining or tearing of near hip joints also cause groin pain.

Pregnancy

Lots of hormonal changes occur during pregnancy. It increases slackness of pelvic joints. So groin pain during pregnancy is very common. Women may also experience pain in lower back, hip joints, upper thighs and genital area.

Referred Pain

Injury or pain in the other parts of the body may radiate towards groin and they can cause pain in women. This is called radiating pain or referred pain.

Some common groin pain causes among women are ischemia, infection or inflammation in large intestine, spasms, specific pelvic problems such as pelvic inflammatory diseases, ectopic pregnancy, spine injuries, severe back pain, etc.

Groin pain can be diagnosed by conducting physical tests, radiological examinations, blood tests, erythrocyte sedimentation rate test, renal function and electrolyte tests, etc. Microscopic urine test, urinalysis, urine culture test, etc will also be beneficial for diagnosing this problem. Treatments for this health problem depend on the causes, symptoms and severity of pain.

Millions of people suffer from joint pain. The good news is that there are now plenty of herbal, all-natural joint pain relief products in the market promising to alleviate arthritis of the knees, finger joints, and hips. It is vital that you get an accurate diagnosis of the real source of your symptoms in order to receive appropriate treatment. Further reading please refer to http://groinpainpregnancy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Renee_Foo